Samsung ordered to compensate ex-employee in patent dispute

No, Samsung does not have much luck with patents. After being ordered to pay Apple over a billion dollars in damages, the outfit is now also facing an in-house payment of sorts.

A Korean court has ordered the company to pay one of its former employees $5.2 million (W6 billion) in compensation for patented technologies invented by the worker during his tenure at Samsung. The wormer worker, identified only by his surname Chung, filed the suit in 2010.

Samsung made more than $50 million on Chung’s patents between 2000 and 2007, so Chung argued that he deserved a bit more compensation on top of his salary. Of course, Samsung objected, claiming that Chung relinquished his rights to the patents by accepting 220 million won in compensation in 1999 and 2002.

Chung earned a PhD at a US university and started working for Samsung back in 1991, where he worked until 1995 as a researcher. His efforts resulted in 28 international patents and 17 US patents. And now he is a millionaire, so kids, stay in school.